Tag Archives: Canada

…… In an analysis made public yesterday, researcher Marc Hasbani of UQÀM’s accounting sciences departments concludes that “in spite of substantial revenue,” there is no evidence the privatized arrangement is more efficient than it would have been under city management.

…… His main recommendation: The city should take control of parking meters and recover the estimated $1 million a year it is losing under the current system.

‘The Rise of the Public Service Industry,‘ a report released by UNISON (CUPE’s sister union in the UK) has important lessons for Canada. It documents the consequences for government and taxpayers of relying on private companies to finance and provide public services.”The union is calling on Government to ditch its fair-weather friends in big business and call a halt to damaging privatisation, ” said UNISON president Dave Prentis.

It was bad news for private school bus owners who will no longer be in the business of providing bus service for students in the Prairie Valley School Division (PVSD) following the board’s decision to have its own fleet of buses in operation by August of 2008. The motion was supported by six board members and opposed by four.

Private bus owners were shocked to hear the news that the decision had been made at special meeting of the board on November 23rd and according to local bus owners like Les Beutler and Kevin White last Thursday when The Herald spoke to them, they had not yet been notified of the decision by the Prairie Valley office.

New research shows the Conservative government lowballed the price of federal buildings it recently sold as a P3 scheme.

The Informetrica analysis, commissioned by the Public Service Alliance of Canada, shows the undervaluing of the real estate assets means a $400 million windfall for Larco Investments, the corporation that bought the buildings.

Two fresh investigations have been launched into the mishandling of millions in the RCMP’s pension and insurance funds after five Mounties broke ranks and accused the force’s senior ranks of corruption and coverups….The complaints about the mismanagement of the pension fund dates back to May 2003 when RCMP launched its own criminal investigation. Mr. Zaccardelli scrapped that investigation a couple of days later and called an internal audit instead. That eventually led to a 15-month investigation by the Ottawa Police, which wrapped up in June 2005 with no charges laid because Crown Attorneys felt there was little chance of conviction. No disciplinary charges were laid because the one year time limitation had run out.

Fraser’s audit found sweeping management abuses when the RCMP’s human resources branch tried to modernize the $13.3 billion pension plan and turn over the administration of the $30-million insurance fund to a private contractor. Her findings included $3.1 million improperly charged tp the pension fund; $20 million in contracts awarded without competition that were of “questionable value; friends and relatives of RCMP employtees hired at higher than normal rates of pay….